BoardGameArchiveMarco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan
Explore a new map and economy using dice, jade, contracts and trading posts. Learn the standalone sequel, key decisions and links to complete rules guides.
Familiar dice placement, redesigned travel economy and fresh asymmetric character powers.
Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan at a glance
Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan is a standalone dice-placement strategy game for 2–4 players, designed by Daniele Tascini and Simone Luciani and originally published by Hans im Glück in 2019. It builds on the original Marco Polo design, with a new map, revised action economy, jade as an important resource, and another set of powerful asymmetric characters.
Starting from Beijing, players travel across Asia, gather commodities, complete contracts and establish trading posts. The original article describes the game as heavy strategy, ages 12+, with a session time of about 30 minutes per player. Actual playtime varies with familiarity and player count.
You do not need The Voyages of Marco Polo to play Marco Polo II. It is a distinct standalone game, not a rules expansion or replacement map for the original.
Why we love Marco Polo II
Marco Polo II preserves the sharp dice-placement identity of the original while changing the action economy enough to stand as a genuinely different strategy game.
The new jade economy and different travel incentives reward planning without making the two games interchangeable. The asymmetrical characters again make it important to adapt your plan to the tools you have, rather than following a single universal opening.
Rules overview: dice, jade, contracts and travel
Original rules summary: Each round, roll dice and assign them to action spaces to gain resources, jade, contracts and travel. Complete contracts for rewards and establish trading posts while moving outward from Beijing. New characters provide strong asymmetric abilities and the final scoring differs from the original game.
- Roll dice: prepare the dice that will determine the available placements and action strength for the round.
- Choose action spaces: use dice on the board to obtain resources, jade, money or contracts, following any placement restrictions and costs.
- Fulfil contracts: turn collected goods into their specified rewards.
- Travel from Beijing: pay the route requirements to establish a network of trading posts and earn city benefits.
- Score: combine points from the game’s scoring sources and final objectives, using the Marco Polo II rulebook rather than the original game’s scoring sheet.
This is an overview, not a substitute for the printed rules or special-character exceptions. For setup, turn order, jade spending and action details, see How to Play Marco Polo II.
Four interconnected systems
Choose which action to take and which dice values are worth committing.
Turn goods and resources into rewards that support your wider plan.
Move across the map to reach useful locations and earning opportunities.
Re-evaluate action costs and route priorities according to your asymmetric advantage.
Why jade changes the strategy
Marco Polo II adds jade to its resource economy. The original page emphasizes that jade introduces another conversion constraint: you cannot only plan how to acquire goods and contracts; you must also think about which routes and actions the extra resource can enable or limit.
A strong turn is not merely the one that generates the most resources. It is the one that gets you the correct mix for the contract you can finish or the trading-post route you can exploit. Track jade alongside money, commodities and dice values, rather than treating it as an unrelated bonus.
The precise exchange rates, action-space effects and exceptions depend on the final rulebook and are covered more thoroughly in the Marco Polo II strategy guide.
Key decisions and early strategy
Preserved editorial analysis: travel and contracts still reinforce each other, but jade introduces another conversion constraint. Plan routes around both city benefits and the goods your next contracts actually require.
Before choosing a dice placement, consider what it makes possible next. A resource action is more useful when it funds an imminent contract or journey; an attractive travel route is less useful when you cannot meet its requirements on time. Your character power may change that calculation substantially.
The objective is to balance tactical actions with long-term priorities. Overcommitting to one route or stocking resources without a clear purpose may leave you unable to capitalize on a valuable action space when it becomes available.
Who should play Marco Polo II?
Marco Polo II is best suited to groups that enjoy heavy eurogames, asymmetric character abilities, resource conversion, route planning and competition for dice-placement actions. It offers a familiar strategic structure to fans of the original while changing enough of the decisions to reward learning the sequel on its own terms.
Good fit: players who like making efficient plans from limited dice and adapting to resource pressure. Less suitable: players seeking a short, low-complexity travel game or expecting to combine the old game’s components freely with the sequel.
Marco Polo Deluxe Master Set — November 2026
Board&Dice plans a Deluxe Master Set bringing together The Voyages of Marco Polo and Marco Polo II with Agents of Venice for the original game, fifth-player modules for both, official solo opponents and extra historical content. Preview rewards list the €99 Big Box and €169 All-In bundle, before shipping and taxes.
This is a future deluxe collection, not a required purchase to continue playing Marco Polo II. The original 2019 rules remain the scope of this page. The crowdfunding guide separately compares editions, upgrades and release announcements.
Compare the Marco Polo Deluxe Master Set Gamefound pledges and release dates.
Learn Marco Polo II in depth
Marco Polo II FAQ
Is Marco Polo II a standalone game?
Yes. You do not need to own or learn The Voyages of Marco Polo first.
How many players does Marco Polo II support?
The original game supports 2–4. A fifth-player module is planned for the 2026 Deluxe Master Set.
What is jade used for?
Jade is a resource in the sequel’s revised action and travel economy. Refer to the official rulebook for its exact action-space costs and uses.
How long does it take?
The original article lists about 30 minutes per player; experienced players may be faster.
Are contracts still important?
Yes. You still collect appropriate resources and turn completed contracts into rewards, while balancing travel and trading-post opportunities.
Is Agents of Venice part of Marco Polo II?
No. Agents of Venice is an expansion for the original The Voyages of Marco Polo; its inclusion in the combined Deluxe Master Set does not make it a Marco Polo II expansion.
Will the Deluxe Master Set include solo play?
Yes. The publisher has announced official solo bot support for both games in the deluxe collection, not the original 2019 edition.
Sources, edition scope and editorial details
Original publisher: Hans im Glück: Marco Polo II – In the Service of the Khan. The game was published in 2019 and designed by Daniele Tascini and Simone Luciani. For exact setup, action costs, scoring and individual character abilities, consult the official rulebook.
2026 deluxe edition: Board&Dice’s Deluxe Master Set crowdfunding project.
Editorial update: 9 November 2026. This V3 migration retains the original game’s topic, the previous rules and strategy material, the dedicated supporting links and the existing SEO metadata. It does not present unconfirmed deluxe rewards as included in every Marco Polo II copy. Editorial policy and corrections.